Light in the Darkness
by Laryna6
Summary: Examinations of the Yami&Hikari pairs in terms of various ideas of Light vs. Darkness. First chappie Y&Y. Second chappie B&R. Now done with M&M!
1. Illumination

This is my first attempt at straight shonen-ai. And to think a few months ago I was terminally embarrassed by Gravitation! I am thinking of attempting lemon and posting on MediaMiner, my penname there is Laryna6 too. Let me know what you think of the idea.  
  
This is an interpretation of Yu-gi-oh in terms of western ideas of darkness vs. light. Explanation (or rant) at end, so you won't be bored if I wrote the story well and you get it.  
  
Disclaimer: Look, love the card game, but if I owned Yu-gi-oh they'd spend five minutes dueling and the rest of the time would be character development.  
  
Also, every time I try to do those nice slashes everyone else uses they disappear, so -hikari- --yami-- speech. (hikari) ((yami)) thoughts. Got it?  
  
Also, I learned all my Japanese from reading fanfic, so if I get something wrong, let me know. According to the xxxholic manga, -dono is above -sama. I thought it appropriate.  
  
Requires some knowledge of the manga. Explanation at end.  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV  
  
Death-T:  
  
"I won't be afraid anymore...of the other me."  
  
((Those words...do you really mean them? You do? Oh, thank Ra... I've been so scared. Ironic, isn't it? I, who can shatter souls with a word, my only fear that you would reject me, my savior, my light...))  
  
-Hey, I'm still awake! It's weird. Um... Hello? Can you hear me? Mo Hitori no Boku?-  
  
--Yes, aibou, I can hear you(--  
  
-Aibou?-  
  
--Do you mind?--  
  
-No, not at all... Um, this is probably very a stupid question, but you are the reason I keep having these blackouts, right?-  
  
--It's not a silly question. Yes. I've been taking over when you are in danger...you don't...mind, do you?--  
  
-Well, I figure I've lost my mind, but I'm going to go with it. But, it's odd: blanking out is normal when another personality takes over, so how can I talk to you? Unless I'm imagining this. Gomen nasai, I'm distracting you.-  
  
--You aren't imagining this, and you aren't distracting me. And you don't need to be so formal around me. This little brat's no challenge. Cheating makes you weak. And talking to you is nice.--  
  
(He likes talking to me?! Um, why am I so excited about that?)  
  
-Um, why haven't we talked before then, if it's possible?-  
  
--Well, when I first woke up, I didn't have enough power to be awake by myself, so I had to drain you and that put you to sleep. I'm sorry, Aibou.--  
  
-It's all right...what do you mean when you first woke up?-  
  
--I was born when you solved the millennium puzzle. I owe my life, and I vowed to repay you by protecting you. Um...--  
  
-So you aren't a split personality? Um what?-  
  
--Is it okay with you that I exist? If you want me gone, all you have to do is take apart the puzzle... I don't want to intrude on your life.--  
  
-If you're from the puzzle, wouldn't that kill you?!-  
  
--...Yes. But you gave me my life, so it's your right to take it. I wouldn't mind. It must be scary, having someone else take you over: I'd rather not hurt you that way.—  
  
-It's all right! I don't mind at all! You've helped me so much. Like right now...um, are you losing? Um, do you want help...forget I said that, I'm sure you don't need my help. I don't know anything about this game anyway.-  
  
--I'd take your advice gladly, but it's fine. Wait a minute...--  
  
-Oh! Sugoi! How did you know that would happen?-  
  
--You just need to trust your partners.—  
  
-Partners?-  
  
--Those who help you win are just as worthy of the credit as you are. No one succeeds alone. I've won because I've been fighting for you.—  
  
(Like a knight in shining armor...wow. I'm so lucky...)  
  
--What? How can he do that to his own brother?!--  
  
-Punishment game? What's that?-  
  
--Um...--  
  
((Why is Kaiba doing a punishment game instead of me? I always give one to those who break the rules! Yet for some reason, I don't want to...))  
  
-Wow! You saved him!-  
  
--Well, it is my job(--  
  
((Why do I feel so...happy? It's being with him, my light...why do I call him that? Well, it's what he is. My precious light, who brought me out of the darkness.))  
  
-Yay! You did it! You beat Kaiba!-  
  
--Thanks to you and your Grandpa, aibou. Now...--  
  
-What did you just do?-  
  
--Opened his mind, little light. His heart was shrouded in darkness, I just let in the light. Hopefully, it'll show him where he went wrong.--  
  
-Little light?-  
  
--Gomen nasai, Motou-dono! I didn't mean to...--  
  
-No, it's ok, I don't mind. I mean, you're using my body, so we're the same height. And you don't need to be so formal around me. I mean, dono? I'm not Kaoru! Anything you want to call me is fine.-  
  
(Little light? First aibou, now this? I have pet names? ...I think I like it. And why was he so apologetic? Wow, he must really care what I think!)  
  
--Arigato, hikari.--  
  
Duelist Kingdom:  
  
-Wow, Kaiba's acting really polite.-  
  
--Well, how would you act around someone who suspended you in midair when you jumped off a ledge and then knocked you out so you couldn't do anything else stupid without even touching you, chibi tenshi? Not to mention rescuing your and your brother's souls.--  
  
-...I'd be polite too.(-  
  
--No, you're very rude and teasing.--  
  
-Gomen!-  
  
--No, I like you this way. Did I ever tell you, that I was capable of coexisting with you, with both of us awake, a long time before Death-T? I was just scared, scared that you would be afraid of me. I wouldn't have been able to bear that. I love that you stand up to me, help me as an equal. It was your idea that allowed us to beat Pegasus, hikari!--  
  
-But it was your strength, Mirror.-  
  
--Mirror?--  
  
-Like it? I've been trying to think of a name for you since we met. I mean, you call me so many things... and you're more than mo Hitori no Boku. You're your own person, so you deserve a name..-  
  
--A mirror image, reflecting your light...--  
  
-With me forever.-  
  
--Forever.--  
  
Battle City:  
  
-Isn't it great that Tea told us about this exhibit, Mirror?! Now we know something about your past! Of course, I knew you were just as great then as you are now, oh mighty King of Games.-  
  
--Yes. If I get back my memories...I mostly know how to do things, but if I get my memories back, I should be stronger so I can do a better job of protecting you.--  
  
-Is that all you ever think about?-  
  
--...--  
  
-Okay, stupid question.-  
  
(God, he cares so much about me it's scary. Almost. Just almost...it's great.)  
  
"Great, Mirror! You beat Marik and saved everyone! I knew you could do it!"  
  
"Um, I think we have a problem, aibou."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The shadow game is over, and you're not back in your body."  
  
"Well, let's enjoy it while it lasts."  
  
"Way to go Yug!"  
  
"Why, oh why are the hot ones always taken!"  
  
"Don't look Mokuba. It'll rot your brain."  
  
"Why did he get the nice one!!!!! Oh my. Sorry."  
  
--...--  
  
-Um, sorry.-  
  
--Why are you stopping?--  
  
Home:  
  
"It was nice of Kaiba to forge documents for you."  
  
"Well, he must have hated owing us. I feel like I'm imposing. I mean, food, clothing..."  
  
"With all the money you've got from tournaments, you're putting us both through college. I don't think you need to worry about being a financial burden."  
  
"Now that I'm separate from you, I worry...what if something happens to you and I'm not there?"  
  
"Oh please, have better faith in your training. I can whip bullies myself now, even if I don't have magic."  
  
"I don't either, anymore."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ever since I started talking to you, my powers have been decreasing. That's why I didn't stop Marik's shadow games. I'm sorry."  
  
"You mean, I've taken away your powers?! I'm so sorry, Mir-chan."  
  
"Shh, don't cry, koi. I don't need them anyways. The only thing I ever used them for was punishing people who hurt you. When I first woke up...I was like a different person. I was so cold, and cruel...it's better this way: I won't be tempted. There's only one thing I would regret losing, and that's gotten stronger."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
--My ability to talk to you while kissing.--  
  
-Now, losing that would be a tragedy.-  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV  
  
All right: explanation time.  
  
Death-T is the equivalent of the first anime episode in the manga. Kaiba wins the blue-eyes and rips it up. He wants revenge on Yugi for beating him before so he makes him run this gauntlet before dueling him. As part of it, he duels Mokuba in a game called Capsule Monster Chess. He does something equivalent to Open Your Mind to Kaiba.  
  
When Yami duels Marik, it's a Shadow Game. Sort of like the one with Bakura, where you lose body parts for life points, but their hikaris are separate from the yamis and they lose the parts. It's unfair, Marik reflects on how if Yugi dies Yami dies but if Malik dies, he throws a party. I thought this was a good way to give them separate bodies.  
  
Kaiba's line is from a story by Vathara, she's on my favorites list, read her stuff! She rules! Bakura's line is a reference to another story.  
  
I'm going to edit this story later, constructive criticism appreciated. It ended up being more straight fluff than I planned, but that's ok, right? Right?  
  
Philosophical Stuff: In eastern mythology, there is yin and yang. Darkness and light are equals and inseparable. From a western point of view, that's nonsense.  
  
It can be summed up by the phrase, 'Evil flourishes (only) when good men do nothing.' Light is fundamentally superior to darkness.  
  
Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light.  
  
In Christian mythology, when Lucifer rebelled he got his butt kicked, and when he dares try again he's foredoomed to failure. Human evil is only possible because God allows it, the whole free will thing. Light rules.  
  
Ok, Yami's journey is kind of a summary of the human condition. We start out as babies as selfish bastards (also original sin). We want to be good (are drawn to the light) and are redeemed unless we let things get in the way (like darkness existing in a lighted room only because something's between it and the light.) . Yami is drawn to Yugi, and as long as he stays separate, he remains dark. When he lets down his barriers, the light shines into him, dispelling his dark nature. Since his powers come from darkness, he ends up losing them. He also loses his dark traits, such as homicidal mania. (Read the manga.)  
  
He ends up reflecting Yugi's light (well, he is his mirror image.) This is my explanation of how he went from dark avenger to the hero we all know and love ;).  
  
Someone else did a thematically similar story to this, where Yami/darkness, is destroyed when he lets in the light by kissing Yugi. If anyone knows the title let me know: like an idiot I didn't bookmark it. I want to do a similar scene, but with lemon, as a climax. If anyone can think of a better name for Yami to have, let me know: I'm not completely satisfied with Mirror.  
  
Ok, sorry about the long authors notes, hope I didn't bore you. I'm thinking of doing something similar to this with the other pairs. You like? 


	2. Balance

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, Bakura would get to fight Zork.  
  
As you can see, I am continuing Light in the Darkness since I don't want to work on Devotion since I don't have the episodes and I want to do at least two chapters each week.  
  
This is the analysis of another Yami/Hikari pair. I am also going to do Malik/Marik.  
  
I'm so stupid, I didn't bring the Shonen Jump with their meeting! So it's AU, ok? If I can't do it right I'm not going to even try to duplicate it.  
  
Yadonushi = landlord, it's Bakura's name for Ryou. At least in fanfiction, I'm not sure about the anime.  
  
Going with the manga's version of the Bakura vs. Yami first battle. Currently being published in Shonen Jump! Oh, and in the manga, Tristan got captured trying to find Mokuba and Bakura let him out. Oh, and Pegasus dies when Bakura takes the eye.  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVA VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--Khu khu khu... So you can hear me, can you? It must be the presence of the puzzle that allows me to finally talk to my host...---  
  
"Who is this?! Show yourself!"  
  
--Stop shouting, yadonushi. I don't want people to think my host is crazy, now do I? If you don't stop shouting, I'll have to hurt you...--  
  
-You're in my head!? What are you?!-  
  
--You, little yadonushi. Your dark side.—  
  
-What do you mean?-  
  
--Why, I'm a part of you that you lost a long time ago. Now shut up.—  
  
-What?! My body is moving on its own! Are you doing this?!-  
  
--So excitable...now go to sleep. I don't need you interfering with my plans to claim what is mine.—  
  
-Wha...-  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
-What? I'm at home...But just a second ago I was at school! I must have blacked out, I'm having hallucinations. Yes, that's it.-  
  
--Silly yadonushi...now be a good boy and look on your desk...--  
  
-It's a Monster World figure. That's strange, it looks like...NO! It couldn't be!-  
  
--Of course it is. It looks exactly like that annoying teacher who was going to make you get your hair cut. Why does it look like him, you ask? Because it is him.—  
  
-Wh...Why did you do this?-  
  
--Well, I have to repay my host, don't I? And you're glad, aren't you? Glad he isn't going to be mean to you any more. You're so frail yadonushi. Aren't you glad you have me to look after you?—  
  
-...God help me.-  
  
--Yes, you should be grateful. Remember how you used to wish you could play with your friends forever? I made your wish come true! Khu khu khu...--  
  
-All those times my friends collapsed when we were playing Monster World...going into comas and not waking up...I thought I had lost them forever.-  
  
--No, you've got them forever. They're safe in your little world, yadonushi. You can play with them as long as you like. Aren't you glad?—  
  
-...No! I'm not!-  
  
--Now, now, little yadonushi...you're a very bad boy for lying like that. You've got people who won't ever leave you now, not like your mother, sister and even your father have. You've got your friends, and me.—  
  
-...I'm not lying.-  
  
--And soon you'll have even more friends to play with. You like that Yugi brat, don't you? Defending you against that mean teacher, him and his friends...Don't you want to spend more time with them?—  
  
-What do you mean?-  
  
--I mean, yadonushi, that I've invited them over for a game of Monster World. Isn't it great how our desires fit together? You get more friends, and I get the Millennium Puzzle...—  
  
-Oh no!-  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--What's wrong, yadonushi? Don't you want to watch the game? Monster World is your favorite...--  
  
-I'm not going to just sit back and watch you do this! And quit calling me yadonushi, I have a name!-  
  
--Don't be so harsh, little yadonushi...look, your friends are having so much fun!—  
  
-How dare you trap them with someone that looks like me!-  
  
--Just sit back and watch the show. Soon we'll both have what we want...--  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--What?! That attack should have killed them! Wait, why is my left hand moving on its own...--  
  
--Defying me, little yadonushi? How dare you bite the hand that feeds you! Take that!—  
  
--Ooh, I just spooked your little friends...Trying to free you? Good luck...--  
  
--NO!!—  
  
-See, you spirit? I'm not just your plaything! I'll fight you with these people, as a figure in the game!-  
  
--That should have killed them! Damn you, yadonushi!-  
  
--...I...won't...let...you...win...-  
  
--Yadonushi!--  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
-Damn, I thought you were destroyed!-  
  
--Khu khu khu...I told you I'd never leave you all alone. And aren't you glad I saved your friend Tristan from Pegasus's cell?—  
  
-It's the least you could do after you turned him into a doll! But still...thanks. But don't think this means I forgive you for all you've done!-  
  
--Khu khu khu. You're funny, little yadonushi. I've protected you from Pegasus trying to get the ring...--  
  
-He can have it!-  
  
--...I'll pretend I didn't hear that. You don't really mean that anyway, don't you? And now I'm going to make sure Pegasus doesn't bother you ever again...--  
  
-You killed him!-  
  
--...I won't dignify that with a response.—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
-You're after the guy who stole the puzzle? Let me guess, you want it for yourself.-  
  
--What is it with you and stating the obvious?—  
  
--Hmm...this man is under control.—  
  
-Go Yugi!-  
  
--Impressive. The brat can actually duel without the pharoah's help. This is boring me. Ring! Sever the strings that bind this man!—  
  
--That son of a ...he smashed the puzzle! Damn, now I have to wait for Yugi to put it together again! Wha...Oh no you don't!—  
  
-You saved Yugi!-  
  
--And got a thank you. Of course, he thinks I'm you...now don't distract me.—  
  
-What are you doing to that piece?-  
  
--Enchanting it, of course. Now I can explore the puzzle. It's good to know your enemy.—  
  
-...Thank you for helping Yugi, even if you are only doing it for your own selfish reasons.-  
  
--You're welcome. Now was that so hard?—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
-Where am I? What happened to my arm! It was you wasn't it!-  
  
--Yes, I did it to make a deal to help me get the millennium items. And because blood is sooo pretty...--  
  
-Wha...I'm duelling Yugi? Why am I not surprised...Why did you let me out and what is that huge red thing?-  
  
--I let you out to help me win. Just look pitiful. You're good at that.—  
  
-What? I could die? You...you... How could you! You're pure evil!-  
  
--Be silent!—  
  
-I won't! You talk about looking after me and only wanting to get your family back, but it's all a lie! If you cared about me at all, if you had even a scrap of decency, you wouldn't put me in deadly danger just to help you win!-  
  
--I NEED to win this duel!—  
  
-No you don't! You always say that you are darkness, and Yugi can't destroy you! If that's true, then this duel doesn't matter! You have all the time in the world! I'm not going to let you use me. You don't care about me or anything besides yourself!-  
  
"Yugi..."  
  
-Why did you cut me off!?-  
  
--...What were you going to tell him?—  
  
-To just attack me! He can't let you win, I won't let him, so I want him to know I don't mind! It's not like I have anything to live for, host of a demon!-  
  
--...Go back to your soul room. I'm taking over.—  
  
-Wha...-  
  
-You threw the duel? Why?-  
  
--It's not as if one duel matters. I have time, yadonushi.—  
  
-...-  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--Get in your soul room and lock the door! Now!—  
  
-What?-  
  
--Just do it! Well, you've gotten your wish, yadonushi. I'll be gone for awhile. I promise I'll be back though. Don't come out until I get back, okay? Stay in the ring, or I swear I'll kill you, if you survive.—  
  
-What happened?-  
  
--I'm about to lose another duel to a goddamn god card, that's what. And when I do, your body will be destroyed and Marik will have the ring. Don't let him get his hands on you!—  
  
-You lost my body in a duel!?!-  
  
--...Shut up.—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--You looked for the ring? Why?—  
  
-Well...I hate to admit it, but you're right. You are a part of me. I just felt so...Oh god, kill me now. My alter ego is a homicidal maniac.-  
  
--Very funny, yadonushi.—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--Now the pharaoh has all three god cards and is close to getting his memory back, he needs the eye. The pharoah's yadonushi is such a baka, letting the god cards get stolen. You should thank me for getting them back for him, yadonushi. He did.—  
  
-We're going along when Yami goes to the museum, Ba-khu-ra. Wha...What are you going to do? Why have you been helping?-  
  
--The pharaoh has no idea why I want to kill him, yadonushi. It's no fun to get revenge on someone who thinks he's in the right. I want him to know what he's done. I want Yugi to know what he's done.—  
  
-But, wasn't it his father?-  
  
--He still used the items, didn't he? He profited from their deaths, he shares the guilt!—  
  
-...It just isn't right Yami. He's a completely different person now. You were a thief, how would you feel if someone from your past killed you for something you forgot. And they'd have a lot more right to, because you are the same person you used to be.-  
  
--...Shut up, yadonushi.—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--That servant of Shadi's won't stop me from coming along. I'll just go through the puzzle. You can come. I want you to watch.—  
  
-What's wrong? You feel...wrong.-  
  
--...Something's taking control of me! Go back to your soulroom until I manage to destroy it!—  
  
-Can't I...-  
  
--Go. Now.—  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
--Goodbye...--  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVA V  
  
Almost forgot to do this! Ok!  
  
Explanations: This is the usual Yu-gi-oh philosophy. Yin-yang, a little bit of good in the evil, psycho!Bakura's desire for the approval of Ryou, and Ryou's not-competely objecting to the whole dolls thing. ?s? Review. One more chappie to go! Another western perspective on M&M.  
  
Reviews:  
  
SilverLily aka Blood Moon: I have taken your advice to heart. Love the ...! And I had that duel turn out differently, if you look at the story again. And it's after he's opened his heart to Yugi, so it wouldn't work. Maybe I could have had him find out about Ushio, etc, but too late now. Your review was very helpful!  
  
SoulDreamer: Thanks!  
  
Dorie Kaiba: I know, I know. But Gravitation still isn't fantasy, so I don't see myself becoming a fan.  
  
Misura: If I'd written it better the Ans wouldn't have been as necessary. It's my fault. Thanks for liking the format, the philosophy stuff ( that is what you mean by concept, right?) and Y&Y dynamic. I love them to pieces!  
  
Silvershadowfire: I'm kinda stuck with the name. And I am doing different philosophies in my other chappies, as you can see. Hope you like it!  
  
I am now on 5 favorite author lists and 8 Author Alerts! I am so happy! (Favorite story listing don't show up under stats, but people keep telling me my stories are on theirs, which makes me so happy!) 


	3. Sin

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, Malik's name would not have been changed.  
  
I'm using the conventional Malik=hikari, Marik=yami. I've seen it the other way around, so just making it clear.  
  
Yay! The last ch of Light in the Darkness! I'm actually done with a story. On the other hand, it's really just a series of 1-shots...but whatever.  
  
I got no reviews for chapter 2! Wah! Please make me feel better. :puppy dog eyes:  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVA VAVAVAVAVAVAVAV  
  
Malik sat alone in his room, lit only by a single candle on his desk, given him so that he could study the scriptures. It was cold in the room, deep underground, but his father had refused to give him more wood for a fire until he could recite five hundred more lines.  
  
He tried to interpret the tiny writing, but even though the lack of wind meant the candle's light was steady, the passage of time and many hands had smudged the papyrus until it was almost illegible in the dim light.  
  
Malik had been near the opening of the tomb complex once when those who were allowed to live above had opened the door to give the supplies they had made to those who dwelt in the darkness.  
  
His father had beaten Rishid for allowing him to be there. The heir of the family was never supposed to see the light of the outside world until he had gone through the Tombkeeper's Ritual.  
  
It was so...he should feel guilty. Rishid had suffered for what he had done. But the light...it was...he could understand the fervor with which the ancient scriptures praised Ra, the god of the sun. If the pharaoh was indeed the blessed avatar of that glory... perhaps he did indeed deserve what his family had done for him. Perhaps.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knocking on the door. "I brought food, Master Malik."  
  
"Are you alright, little brother?"  
  
It was Rishid and Isis. And...  
  
"Fo...!" Malik yelled, but Rishid's hand clamped over his mouth before his outburst could attract attention. People were used to him yelling in frustration.  
  
"It's not much, but..." Isis whispered. "I'm sorry. This is all we could hide."  
  
Malik eyed the meagre feast Isis held out to him. Half a roll, some peppers... "Thank you, sister, Rishid! Thank you!" He whispered enthusiastically.  
  
His father held that a full stomach hindered concentration. Malik had gotten no food since yesterday, when he had been assigned these pages.  
  
Isis and Rishid quickly left, after Isis squeezed his hand and Rishid mussed his hair. NO one would notice: Malik rarely brushed his hair. It was an act of minor rebellion, the only safe kind. His father never looked at him long enough to notice.  
  
Malik inhaled the food. Then he sighed and turned back to the scroll. He wished things were different. Little kindnesses like this highlighted how little kindness there was in his life. His father...did he blame him for his mother's death in childbirth? Malik could understand that. He blamed himself. He had killed the kind woman Rishid and Isis talked about so longingly.  
  
Perhaps that explained the glee with which his father gave him difficult tasks and withheld necessities, then punished him when he was too weak to go on. Even the other Tombkeepers...  
  
He had often received hidden glances of sympathy when his father tormented him in front of others. But no one was willing to go against the leader, who they were bound to by unbreakable tradition. Not for the sake of three children, one to have the honor of being made head of the clan. It was necessary, right? His father wanted to make him tough, to be able to bear the burden of carrying on the legacy of his clan until the fabled Pharaoh's return.  
  
Maybe his father was afraid that the legacy would be lost? That there would be no one to aid the Pharaoh? Rishid had told him how happy his father was that he had been born, that there was a male heir to carry on the legacy. Told him one night when Malik sobbed in his arms at the latest beating. Told him when he was convinced his father hated him.  
  
Filled with rejoicing, even though his 'beloved' wife had just died.  
  
Malik laid his head in his hands and wept.  
  
Wept for the hatred his father bore him. No, not hate. You hate people. You don't hate a tool that does not accomplish its task as well as you wish. Punish, yes. Throw at the floor in annoyance. Yes, his father had thrown him to the floor many a time.  
  
Wept for his destiny, to never see the sun, to serve one long dead who had assigned his family this task without caring about the suffering they would experience.  
  
Wept because in the morning, his father would come to see what he had done and would find that the ink in the scriptures had run from the tears dropped on it, and that his unworthy son had failed to accomplish the task he had been ordered to accomplish.  
  
Wept as he could not when his father beat him, because such a sign of weakness would only make his father beat him longer.  
  
Wept, and beat his fists on the table and screamed and screamed. No one would hear him, deep in the bowels of the tomb, far from anyone else.  
  
He hated. Oh, how he hated.  
  
Hated the pharaoh, who had caused all this.  
  
Hated his father, for doing it to him.  
  
Hated Rishid, who had promised to protect him.  
  
Hated Isis, who stood by, and held her hands, and wept.  
  
He hated them so much, he wanted to kill them.  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
Malik stared at the signs Rishid had carved into his face. Did he think this was enough? A few lines on his face enough penance for failing to protect him from the ritual, when he had begged and begged Rishid to help him?  
  
His father had sent the others away once Malik was tied down. Then...  
  
He had laughed. That was what he could not, would not forgive. His father had laughed at his screams, and told him that he was weak, and unworthy of being his son.  
  
After Malik had been forced to walk back to his room, the blood still running from the cuts, and they had bandaged him, obeying his father's orders not to waste any of the precious painkillers on a weakling who could not bear what generations before him had borne gladly, Rishid had come in.  
  
Malik had raged at him. Said the things he had never before dared say, lest his father hear him. But he was past caring. His father could do nothing worse than he had already. What more did Malik have to fear?  
  
Rishid was staring at him shyly, awaiting a response to his act. Why not give him what he wants? Malik wondered. You're going to need all the allies you can get, until you pull it off.  
  
So he told Rishid that he was impressed, and forgave him, and the ritual wasn't so bad, now that someone shared the pain.  
  
Soothing lies, so far from the truth.  
  
Later, Isis came in. And he acted her sweet brother, the one who had made her that necklace out of the offering flowers.  
  
The idiot had worn it where their father could see, and when he caught them...she didn't even have the courage to lie and say she had made it. She turned pale, and turned him in.  
  
Yet another beating. Yet another reason to carry out the deed he had sworn to himself he would do, while his father carved yet another line.  
  
Destroy his father. Destroy the Tombkeepers. Destroy the world: what had they ever done for him?  
  
Malik would not be some nameless servant of the Pharaoh. The world would know his name, and tremble.  
  
He begged Isis to let him see the outside. Just once. He pleaded with puppy- dog-eyes to see his future kingdom. And for once in her life, convulsed with guilt, she went against her father: did something for her little brother, who said she loved, but did not truly. If she loved him, she would have helped him, done more than just what was without risk to herself.  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
He gazed at the people, letting only wonder show on his face. Couldn't drop the mask now, could he? He'd given too much away in his rant to Rishid. Better they forgot about it, lost suspicion, let him use them to gain his revenge.  
  
He looked at the people who lived free in the sky and hated. Hated the ones who were loved, and happy: all the things he had never been. Hated the ones who ignored his suffering.  
  
He picked up a picture that blew on the ground, with a pious, how could someone treat a book that way? comment. It was a ma-keen, one of the things he had heard of when others discussed legends of the outside.  
  
A box with pictures? The ma-keen...the man who had it was a rebel. His lips curled upwards. He was a rebel, too. He'd have this ma-keen, this 'motorcycle'. He'd have lots of them, when he lived in the outside.  
  
Isis hurried them home, her scant courage used up.  
  
Malik paused outside, to imagine himself on a motorcycle. Free, no people around. Because they were all dead. He'd keep the picture. As a reminder of what everyone tried to deny him.  
  
He noticed a contraption on the door and pointed it out to Isis. It seemed his father already knew they had gone. A pity, he'd be watched now. Oh well. Isis would be punished as well. He smiled quickly as Isis ran to his room. He could have told her it was futile. And, sure enough, Rishid was gone.  
  
Malik ran to where he knew his father would have taken him. The room of the Items, the room where the ritual had been carried out with the knife in the Millennium Rod.  
  
And he stopped when he saw Rishid being whipped, as Malik had been so many times before, but the so-servile Rishid had escaped.  
  
Isis almost fainted. Typical.  
  
His father noticed them, and turned to strike him with the whip.  
  
He could have taken it. Taken the beating. Picked his moment, pushed his father down one of the steep flights of stairs with no one the wiser.  
  
But...he couldn't wait any longer.  
  
So he caught the whip, and laughed at the shock on his father's face at the rebellion. Weak little Malik dared?  
  
Oh yes, he dared.  
  
He felt power fill him. His eyes wandered the room, wondering what to do next. Of course.  
  
There was the Millennium Rod. Kill his father with the instrument of his torment? How delicious.  
  
He walked over and took it, as his father stood, stunned. His father yelled at him to put it down, but he waved it and his father flew against the wall. He unsheathed the knife and walked over.  
  
Isis tried to get in his way. He smiled at her outburst. Not her brother? No, he was Malik. The real Malik, who had been kept caged far too long. He threw her against another wall. He'd deal with her later.  
  
He looked at his father, picked his spot, and struck.  
  
Afterwards he licked the knife and felt regret. He should have made it last longer. Oh well. And it wasn't like he was done yet.  
  
He would kill them. All of them, until the tomb where no body lay was filled to overflowing.  
  
First, Rishid...  
  
But as he walked over, Rishid stirred and whimpered, calling him Master. And Malik felt something happen.  
  
It was the Millennium Rod! It was...doing something to him! He was being pulled apart...  
  
He threw the rod away, but it was too late, too late...  
  
VAVAVAVAVAV  
  
He had his hands over his eyes. He wondered why. Then he remembered who he was.  
  
He was Malik. Malik the ignored, Malik the tormented, who only wanted his father to accept and love him.  
  
Rishid had pulled him into his arms, begging him not to see. He turned, and screamed.  
  
There was his father, slumped to the ground against a wall. And...so much blood...  
  
A figure appeared out of the wall. He seemed familiar, but as soon as the thought occurred it disappeared.  
  
So, this was the pharaoh's will, was it? The pharaoh's will his father lay dead? The pharaoh's will he suffered?  
  
Malik's eyes narrowed. He would make the pharaoh pay.  
  
He would live in the sun. All would bow down to him.  
  
He was no one's servant.  
  
VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVA VAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV  
  
Here's my view of the Malik situation. All the Yamis are the past personalities, right? So it makes sense for Marik to be the real Malik. My theory is the Rod split him, like it did the others, to make him more useful. It wanted him to challenge the pharaoh, make him develop his powers and give him reason to get the god cards so he would fight Zork for them. Challenge, not poison. Marik doesn't give a damn about the items, just destruction. So he wouldn't have to beat Yami or Yugi in a fair fight. All he wanted to do would have been to kill them right away.  
  
Philosophy stuff: This is original sin. The new Malik is formed from Marik's soul, but he's a blank personality until he gets Marik's memories. Even though he's distanced from the suffering by not having actually experienced it himself, he still immediately becomes corrupt, seeking revenge and world domination instead of carrying out his father's wishes. No one is truly innocent, not even a hikari. And without some outside force for salvation, corruption is inevitable and total. Without any light, there is only darkness. 


End file.
